Nightbringer

The Wandering Jew is a familiar legendary figure from narratives about Jesus' crucifixion; the Roman centurion said to have nailed the dying man to the crucifix and then repented is lesser known. In Huggins's new Christian thriller (after Rora), that centurion, Gaius Cassius Longinus, reappears with a tourist group visiting a newly reopened abbey in the Alps that holds countless precious relics and artifacts, along with a dark past. Gina, an FBI agent, and her two kids are also in the group, which arrives just as bad weather threatens to cut off the abbey from the outside world. After a day of history lessons and getting to know the friendly monks, an ancient, monstrous enemy attacks, and the humans must unite against it. As more is revealed about the nature of the terror during the fight, people begin questioning their identities and beliefs, but there's never any doubt about which side will prevail. Huggins's overheated, exclamatory writing style doesn't make up for the book's lack of tension, but his core readership will appreciate the meditations on Jesus and faith interspersed throughout. The book seems to contain anti-Catholic overtones (it blames the resurgence of the enemy on the greed of the Vatican), and the plot is littered with far-fetched elements-people hurled at walls during fight scenes rebound almost effortlessly and Gina, supposedly a secret agent who handles guns with ease, is generally more than willing to let men do the dirty work. But Christian readers who like a little faith with their action may overlook Huggins's too earnest approach and stilted dialogue and relish this fantastical tale.